Mission of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program
The mission of the Fairmont State Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing Program is to offer quality nursing education to nurses in North Central West Virginia and beyond. The program of instruction prepares nurses to restore, maintain, and promote health and to provide complex care to clients in diverse settings. Resources and energies are focused on students and the community through education, scholarly activities, and service. These endeavors strengthen the quality of nursing care provided to health care consumers and enables nurses to meet the challenge of professional nursing practice and a lifetime of learning.
Philosophy of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program
The School of Nursing is an integral component of Fairmont State, committed to the education of nurses at the under-graduate level. In concurrence with the mission of the university, the nursing faculty accept the responsibility of providing a caring, educational environment in which the learner can gain the depth and breadth of knowledge in the humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. The integration of /the student’s intellectual, personal, ethical, and cultural development, coupled with a general education foundation encourages and promotes the growth of every student. By fostering professional growth, the faculty encourage the student to become a positive influence on the nursing profession and society.
The philosophy of the School of Nursing is based upon the beliefs about humanity, environment, health, and nursing.
Humanity
The human being is a bio-psychosocial open system which is more than the sum of its parts, and is in constant interaction with the internal and external environment. This interaction is characterized by change. Within this changing world, the person must adapt to maintain integrity of self. The human being is unique, creative, and self-determined. Humans are influenced by individual cultural values, beliefs, customs, and practices when making health choices. Individuals have the ability to make health choices from many possibilities and to act purposefully and rationally to achieve maximum health potential based on their perceived ability to control their environment.
Health
Health is a dynamic, transitional state viewed on a wellness -illness continuum. Clients fluctuate along the wellness-illness continuum with the goal of attaining their maximum health potential. Placement on the continuum is influenced by the individual’s values, beliefs, culture, heritage, prior and current life experiences, as well as the environment at large. These perceptions are mirrored in both individual and societal patterns of health behaviors. Health behaviors hold unique meaning for human beings as they seek maximum health potential.
Environment
The environment is multi-dimensional, dynamic, and interactive with human beings. It is composed of the internal and external forces that act on the individual. The external environment includes family; community; and cultural values, beliefs; and customs. The internal environment consists of interactions among cognitive, emotional, and physical components. Internal and external environments interact to influence the individual’s unique responses to health. Through planned interventions, the nurse becomes a purposeful agent to influence the quality of the individual’s interaction with the environment.
Professional Nursing
Nursing is an art as well as a science. The science of nursing involves the use of theories, scientific principles, and the use of research in nursing practice. The art of nursing is practiced through the intuitive and therapeutic use of self to enhance the nurse-client process in a variety of health care settings, utilizing a diversity of roles. These skills are employed to promote positive health care choices and enhance levels of health.
Nursing, as a profession, provides a holistic discipline of practice to others through the establishment of relationships purposely focused toward health potential. These relationships are characterized by the establishment of trust, meaningful communication, and an attitude of caring. Shared activities of the nurse - client process are identification of needs, negotiation of goals, decision making, planning, implementation, and evaluation. The process of critical thinking is a systematic method of inquiry, analysis, and synthesis that gives depth and breadth to the practice of professional nursing.
The nurse prepared, as a generalist, at the baccalaureate level promotes optimal health in individuals, families, communities, and groups by recognizing, influencing, and implementing social, environmental, economic, and potential practices that impact health. The nurse is also a consumer of research findings in a practice setting and identifies future research questions.
